Rudi Völler shared his views on the quarter-final exit in the Europa League with the kicker. "We hoped for more, particularly in this competition. We lost to a very good team and we knew it would be difficult before the game," said the 60-year-old after the German-Italian clash in Düsseldorf. "But our performance, it's as clear as daylight, did not match our ability. We'll talk about it and analyse it. We put up a good fight but a couple of players looked inhibited."
Bayer 04 announced good news a few days after the end of the season for the Werkself: The contract with Karim Bellarabi has been extended by two years to 30 June 2023. In signing the deal, the Black and Reds have retained the second-longest serving Leverkusen player after the skipper Lars Bender – Bellarabi joined in 2011 from Eintracht Braunschweig. The 30-year-old winger has scored 31 goals and provided 44 assists in 169 Bundesliga games.
The former Werkself number one Bernd Leno has married his girlfriend Sophie-Christin after the wedding planned for early summer was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 28-year-old wrote 'Mr and Mrs Leno' under a wedding photo posted on Instagram.
Bayer 04 brought Leno in on loan for half a season from VfB Stuttgart in the summer of 2011 and then signed him on permanent terms. The Germany keeper was at Leverkusen until 2018 when he followed the call of the Premier League and joined Arsenal. Friday, 14 August will be the ninth anniversary of Leno making his Bundesliga debut for the Werkself; the 1.89 metre keeper kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 home win against Werder Bremen. Bayer 04 say: Congratulations on your wedding!
Four former Werkself players made their debut for Leverkusen on 13 August – albeit in different years. Bum-kun Cha, now 67 years old, played for the Black and Reds for the first time in 1983, won the UEFA Cup in 1988 and then retired the following year. A certain Rüdiger Vollborn made his debut for Bayer 04 at the same time as Cha. The goalkeeper went on to play for Leverkusen for 17 years and, to this day, he has a record number of Bundesliga appearances for Bayer 04 (401).
On 13 August 1994, Markus Münch, signed from Bayern Munich, made his debut for Leverkusen. The now 47-year-old stayed for two seasons before returning to FC Bayern. Exactly five years after Münch, a certain Michael Ballack made his first appearance for the Werkself. The playmaker stayed for three years but returned in 2010 to Leverkusen after playing for Bayern Munich and Chelsea. He ended his playing career at the Werkself in 2012.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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